Mexico-Baja California

[sturndog]

I am hoping that some of us will want to go down(organize trip) to Baja sometime. My thoughts of Mexico are that if you are not buying or selling drugs your safety goes way up.  The people are well mannered, part of wealth is how many friends you have- in both high and low places. People help each other mostly and many speak english.  I go to Rosarito alot, and use Baja Bound Mexican insurance for my trips. About 60 mile south east of Enseneda is the Sky Ranch - the start of the Baja 500 and 200.  Any way any thoughts?

[Oz]

I am hoping that some of us will want to go down(organize trip) to Baja sometime. My thoughts of Mexico are that if you are not buying or selling drugs your safety goes way up.  The people are well mannered, part of wealth is how many friends you have- in both high and low places. People help each other mostly and many speak english.  I go to Rosarito alot, and use Baja Bound Mexican insurance for my trips. About 60 mile south east of Enseneda is the Sky Ranch - the start of the Baja 500 and 200.  Any way any thoughts?

Sorry - not me man. I used to go there 1-2 times a year for ages. I haven't been since '05 and this summer I read "Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy’s New Killing Fields" by C. Bowden. Read THAT and after tell me you still want to go to Mexico.

[Ruination Fan]

Sorry - not me man. I used to go there 1-2 times a year for ages. I haven't been since '05 and this summer I read "Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy’s New Killing Fields" by C. Bowden. Read THAT and after tell me you still want to go to Mexico.

Ditto....i used to go down back in 03-04 for the 500, 1000, and San Felipe races. But with the current trends going on down there I really have no burnin desire to return. I know many people have gone down recently with no problems, but I would rather not take the chance.

[sturndog]

I will check out the book you mention Oz, I doubt if I would cross from El Paso Texas, into Juarez. TJ not as bad, but I travel it with people who know the area. The scariest place I have been was Detroit in 2007.     I go down to baja about every three months.

[superslidestyle]

I've been dying to take my Xterra into baja especially to get me into remote fishing spots.  But the last time I was there I had to pay off two crooked cops and came back $80 lighter which is the panga money.  So until things get better I'm holding off on going down there.

[Blackx]

I'm interested.  I go down south of Ensenada about once a year and I just got back from a trip to San Felipe.  If you're putting something together keep me in mind.

[sturndog]

Thank you BlackX, I will. If you plan to go back, please let me know too.   I know crime is down in Rosarito and they have put cameras in police cars to reduce corrupt cops asking for money. As for Juarez, it has always been weird. My nieces (Hispanic) moved along time ago from El Paso because they keep getting broken into by illegals. Their grandmother used to own a lot of property in Juarez, and they used to put leases on the kids to protect them when they crossed the border. What was striking about Juarez is it had a million people and no visible industry. That was back in the eighties. I am sure it is the murder capital of the world now but it has a long way to go to compare itself to Teul Slang(S-21), Khymer Rouge and Cambodia’s killing fields.

[Oz]

Thank you BlackX, I will. If you plan to go back, please let me know too.   I know crime is down in Rosarito and they have put cameras in police cars to reduce corrupt cops asking for money. As for Juarez, it has always been weird. My nieces (Hispanic) moved along time ago from El Paso because they keep getting broken into by illegals. Their grandmother used to own a lot of property in Juarez, and they used to put leases on the kids to protect them when they crossed the border. What was striking about Juarez is it had a million people and no visible industry. That was back in the eighties. I am sure it is the murder capital of the world now but it has a long way to go to compare itself to Teul Slang(S-21), Khymer Rouge and Cambodia’s killing fields.

You can think of Mexico as a power struggle between two mob families; except that one family is the police and the other family is the military, fighting for control of the drug trade.

The book I referred to does focus on Juarez but the implications are that is is more widespread. Vaya Con Dios my friends!

[Oz]

OH - this is from yesterday's LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-cartels.eps-20100808,0,6054638.graphic

[Blackx]

I certainly understand not wanting to go down there.  The violence is definitely in the back of my mind when I go.  I make sure to try and cross the border both ways in the morning and I don't hang around TJ.

[xtatik]

John,.........just go!

Travel during daylight has always been the rule down there. Once passed Maneadero on the Pacific side or past San Felipe on the gulf side, you'll be fine.
BTW, the races never start or finish at Mike's....it is a popular pit along the course though. I would avoid areas north of there as a lot of meth labs are popping up. Laguna Hansen used to be one of my stopping points...won't go there now.
Some simple three-day trips would be MSR and the observatory. On the pacific side surfing camping and fishing the areas from Punta Santo Tomas (just south of Maneadero), Punta San Jose (surfing,), Punta Cabras (surfing, diving, fishing), Cabo Colonet, Punta San Telmo (aka, "Quatro Casas" for surfing). On the Pacific side beyond this point you'll need add'l days. Do yourself a favor and drop some pesos at the "Panaderia Morado" in Santo Tomas.
On the gulf side.... in three days you can make it past Puertocitos, Bahia Willard and perhaps to Bahia Gonzaga...but that's pushing it. Lots of open beach/palapa style camp spots and beachcombing along the way. Some great eateries along the way as well: Papa Fernandez's, Alfonsina's, etc.
Most of the folks on this site are gringo expats that live full or part-time down there...check it out.
http://forums.bajanomad.com/

[4x4forfun]

Stopped going there about 15 years ago when I woke up to a kick in my ribs facing down a barrel of an SKS from a federaly at San Miguel Point camp ground. Seems some idiot at the other end of the campground stole a giant wire spool (Their beach table) from one of the beach homes just south of there and burned it in his fire pit and that was good enough for the federalies to shake us down, (as well as every other camper not associated with them, for a few hundred dollars worth of stuff.
 NOPE. Never again do I desire to go back. Ever!!!

With that said I wish you all a great and SAFE trip.

[xtatik]

Stopped going there about 15 years ago when I woke up to a kick in my ribs facing down a barrel of an SKS from a federaly at San Miguel Point camp ground. Seems some idiot at the other end of the campground stole a giant wire spool (Their beach table) from one of the beach homes just south of there and burned it in his fire pit and that was good enough for the federalies to shake us down, (as well as every other camper not associated with them, for a few hundred dollars worth of stuff.
 NOPE. Never again do I desire to go back. Ever!!!

With that said I wish you all a great and SAFE trip.

Sorry to here of this experience.....But, if you'd been frequenting Baja up until 15 yrs ago, why would this, of all experiences, deter you from going? The San Miguel trailer park (I've never known of a campground) has always had the reputation of being.....well, a trailer park, replete with all the crappy conduct you could imagine. More than a few over-inflated surf-dude "mexican federale stories" have been contrived there.
As I stated above make TJ, Rosarito, and Ensenada a blur....get to the toll road and stick to it. Stay alert and drive the speed limit, not above it...not below it. Once past Maneadero, breathe. Anything north of Maneadero is not representative of the frontera. Same goes for the cesspool border towns above the mainland, once past them you've arrived in Mexico....and, it's a beautiful place with great people. It is however a different country, and if you are closed-minded and unable to adapt....you'd best stay here in the States and not consider travel to about 90% of the rest of the planet either. Travel is supposed to be about adventure and seeing what's different in other parts of the world. If Mexico's problems are overwhelming to an individual, I'd say they'd be uncomfortable anywhere in Central and South America, Africa, most of Asia and large portions of Europe as well.

[4x4forfun]

Seems as if you have doubts about what I wrote and I will make no apologizes for your doubts. I have plenty of witnesses if you need to talk to them. San Miguel use to have just empty camp sites and as for the trailers, well I have seen a couple there, but nothing like you describe, just other travelers. It may be different now but it was the way I described it back then. The camp ground was some little private deal with about 12 sites and a drop arm gate. As for over inflated contrived  surfer stories, I have never heard any of those either. If I had prior to the trip I would have opted not to stay there. But seeing that you have heard so many of them, then maybe it does have issues with the federalies robbing when opportunity arises. One thing I will agree with you on is above Ensenada is riskier than south of Ensenada but 15 years ago it wasn't nearly as bad as it is now.

 I do know of one person who got hit by a drunk down there and had his car totalled and he himself injured. After they fixed him up at the clinic they held him in custody until payment was made and he never got to collect his belongings or his vehicle. This happened way south of what you consider the safe zone. Oddly enough he was delivering supplies, that my church collected, to an orphanage or something similar near La Paz.
 
 Now I don't know about you, but small indiscretions don't really deter me from visiting someplace again whether I be shopping at a local store here or traveling abroad, large ones usually do deter me from visiting or spending my hard earned money there again. The incident I was citing ironically was the last day of a goodwill mission in which I tagged along with some firemen from OCFD and other Orange county municipal fire stations. They delivered a bunch of used equipment and a refurbished firetruck to ensenadas' fire brigade. One of those firefighters is my brother and I wouldn't consider him a contriving surfer type either but a very level headed individual family man with the responsibility of running a firehouse in an Orange County coastal city. Not the type of city that hires and promotes irresponsible types to that position either. Yes we were planning on surfing one morning after we made the delivery. A few, but not all of the other firemen joined us. There were 6 of us in all. Hardly a "contriving" type of group.

 As for traveling to other foreign lands, I have never experienced having an SKS (or any other type of firearm) pointed at my head or kicked in the ribs as I was in Mexico. I follow the rules as I don't like the idea of being locked up abroad reliant on an unknown justice system. I have been to 27 different countries in both hemispheres and on both sides of the equator since I left the Navy. Many I have camped in. I stay away from large hotels and opt for the smaller BandB's in order to take in as much of the local culture as I can. I work for a Large Hotel Chain and could easily save money staying there but I like it the other way far better. 2 years ago I went to Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey and camped out more nights than I spent in hotels or BandB's. Not once did I have any issues with the local authorities. As a matter of fact the only time I did was the one incident I cited before. And because of that I will personally boycott traveling and spending my money there.

[Paul]

Does your car insurance cover you in Mexico?

My command has barred border crossing for the military members and strongly recommend that the civilians stay away too.